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Student to
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 Dear Prospective Student,
My name is Sofia Baig and this is my fourth year at The Davidson Academy. I started attending this school my freshman year of high school and I cannot believe that it is already my senior year.
When I first found out about making it into this school, I didn’t know how to feel. I definitely don’t fit into the “nerd” stereotype. I’m a softball player: I love sports and I’m somewhat of a social butterfly. Would I have to compromise these things and have no fun high school experiences? Not at all. There are many different types of people at Davidson and you’re bound to find a few who
share your interests. The friendships I’ve made will be lifelong and I’m very appreciative of that. I’m not saying that you’ll be best friends with everybody, but you will definitely find the perfect group of friends for you. The Davidson Academy staff has also worked with me patiently and been very understanding about my softball schedule. They help me plan my classes around my softball schedule, affording me the opportunity to play three years of varsity softball at Galena High School. Although I’ve made incredible friendships at Davidson, I’ve also made so many friends through softball and other local high schools. There’s this misconception that if you go to the Academy, you’ll never be able to have any social life.
That is not true at all! It has been so important for me to expand my network outside of our small school to keep myself balanced.
While athletically and socially the school has really supported me, hands down, the academic opportunities
the Academy offer are my favorite part of the school. In all of my previous schooling experiences, everything was a breeze for me. I barely had to put in any effort to get good grades or stand out in my class, but I still never really considered myself smart enough to attend a school like Davidson. Little did I know how much I really did fit in intellectually and how much it would have an impact on me. At first it took time and hard work to adjust to the rigorous classes, but thanks to the help of teachers, advisors, and other students I actually adapted to the new environment faster than I expected. The teachers are out of this world. Not only are they extremely knowledgeable and good at what they do, but they are also awesome people
with whom I have built long-lasting relationships.  They are very understanding and approachable whenever I need their help. I don’t think I will ever be able to thank them enough for how much they’ve taught and influenced me.
Overall, my experience at the Davidson Academy has been a positive one. If I had to go back in time, I would without a doubt make the decision to go here. My athletic and social needs are satisfied and my academic gains are above and beyond what I could have ever hoped for. I hope you apply because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am glad that I took it when I had the chance.
~ Sofia Baig, Fourth Year Davidson Academy Student
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Program Updates |
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 2013-2014 Application Available
If you think The Davidson Academy of Nevada may be the right fit for you, consider applying for the 2013-2014 school year! Visit the
How to Apply page to download the application PDF files. If you are looking for an environment to better fit your social and academic needs, The Davidson Academy may be the place for you!
The Academy is specifically designed to meet the needs of profoundly gifted middle and high school students who score in the 99.9th percentile on IQ or college entrance tests, such as the SAT or ACT. Please review the recently updated
Qualification Criteria page of our website as these scores are mandatory for student eligibility. On the
Application Review Process
page, you will find detailed information about the
on-site assessment.
Upcoming Tours for Prospective Students
Each month during the school year, The Davidson Academy hosts a tour for prospective students and their parents. At these tours, visitors meet  current Academy students, parents, faculty and staff, and ask specific questions about the school.
Upcoming school tours will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the following Fridays:
- Sept. 28, 2012
- Oct. 19, 2012
- Nov. 30, 2012
- Dec. 14, 2012
For details, including directions to The Davidson Academy and RSVP information, please visit the
Tours page. If you would like more information, please contact us at
outreach@davidsonacademy.unr.edu.
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EXPLORE Test to be offered at Academy
Next Month |
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 In conjunction with the University of Iowa’s Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search (BESTS), The Davidson Academy will serve as a test site for the two-hour
EXPLORE® test on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. The EXPLORE® test, developed by ACT for 8th graders, is an effective above-level test for younger students (grades 4-6), and provides the opportunity to demonstrate their advanced abilities. An EXPLORE® test score can be used in the context of eligibility criteria for the
Davidson Young Scholars program as well as
The Davidson Academy. The goal of BESTS is to
discover students who need further educational challenge to
fully realize their academic talent.
Register here by
Friday, Oct. 5.
Also, The Davidson Academy will be hosting a
public tour the day before the Explore Test, on Friday, Oct.
19.
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Student
Activities |
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Congratulations to the following Davidson Academy students for their recent accomplishments:
- Eight Davidson Academy students were named 2013
National Merit Scholarship Program Semi-Finalists: Elliott
Glazer, Dixee Kimball, Aishwarya Krishnamoorthy, Ian McKeachie, Elli Tian, Angela Xu Richard Zheng and Daniel Ziegler.
 The College Board named Academy student Angela Xu an Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar with Distinction and
a National AP Scholar.
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Meet Ms. Sambrano,
Literature Instructor |
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 What
classes are you teaching at the Academy?
This year, I have the pleasure of teaching American Literature and British Literature. Literature classes have always been my favorites, not only because they support my ever-growing bibliophilia, but also because I am constantly amazed at the brilliant and insightful observations students bring to our class discussions. I think that humanities teachers in general, and literature teachers in particular, are in a unique position to see the inner workings of their students'
minds, and it's our privilege to really get to know
students as people through our discussions. I'm also
teaching Science Fiction and Fantasy as a Friday
elective, and although I'm new to these genres, I'm
really enjoying them. The students are serving as
guides for the class, and their tastes are dictating
what we read. It's been an amazing learning
experience thus far.
How
long have you taught at the Academy, and how has the
school changed since you started?
I started teaching at the Academy in the spring
semester of 2009. Since then, the school has evolved
in undoubtedly positive ways. I love that the
curriculum can change to meet the needs of the
students, and in the four years that I've been here,
I've seen it become more streamlined and effective
while still retaining its flexibility. I've also
seen the students become more tight knit and
enthusiastic about their school, and it's been a
pleasure to watch the "kids" mature into
college-bound scholars. Our instructors are
dedicated to this kind of positive evolution. It's
infectious to work with people who are passionate
about what they do and are committed to continuous
improvement.
Why
did you decide to become an English teacher?
I actually fought becoming a teacher for quite some
time. Coming from a family of teachers, I saw the
long hours my parents put into their work, and I
decided early on that I wanted to do something more
"important" with my life than teaching. I even
refused to believe the aptitude test I took as a
high school senior, which declared unequivocally
that I was best suited for a life in education. It
wasn't until I was in college and found myself
gravitating towards careers in education that I
discovered how important teaching really is. I
reflected on all the teachers and coaches who had an
impact on my life and decided that there are
actually very few jobs out there that have a bigger
influence on the future than teaching. Choosing to
be an English teacher was the easy part. I've always
had a minor obsession with books, and I think it's
pretty amazing that I get paid to talk about
literature with eager young minds.
What
are a few of the more interesting or challenging
projects that you have assisted Academy students
with in your classroom?
As simple as
it sounds in theory, the writing process is always
incredibly challenging. Guiding students from
inspiration to final draft takes an amazing amount of work, and trying to juggle everyone's paper topics in my head can leave me dizzy by the end of the day. However, seeing those "light bulb moments" and reading polished drafts at the end of the process make it all worth it. This year, I am also working with the other humanities instructors to produce an academic journal where students can publish their essays.
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In the News |
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 Davidson Academy Student Ian
McKeachie Recognized as 2012 Davidson Fellow
Academy student, Ian McKeachie, has been named a
2012 Davidson Fellow. He will receive a $10,000 scholarship for his literature portfolio, "Attitudes of Existence." In this portfolio, Ian examines humanity’s relationship with death.
Click here to read more about Ian and his project.
He was also recently featured in the KTVN video, "Davidson Academy Student Wins Literature Scholarship."
Davidson Fellows have completed graduate-level projects/portfolios that have the potential to benefit society. The 2013 Category Requirements are available
here.
New Book About
Public Schools for
High Achievers 
The Davidson Academy of Nevada
was one the schools that submitted data for the new
book, "Exam Schools:
Inside America's Most Selective Public High Schools." This book, co-authored by Chester Finn and Jessica Hockett, identifies 165 academically selective public high schools across America serving more than 100,000 high-ability students each year.
Exam Schools is the first-ever, close-up look at this small yet crucial segment of American public education presenting how these schools work and their critical role in nurturing our country's brightest students.
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 “Part
of the appeal of the Academy is that it
is filled with such interesting people.
There are people who are interested in
pretty much everything, from computer
programming to history to linguistics
. . . it’s much easier to converse with people who are at your intellectual level and have a sophisticated understanding of many topics
. . .”
Alex Wade, Davidson Academy Graduate (pictured, left)
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